


Being Human

by JadeyKins



Category: Supernatural, Torchwood
Genre: Asexual!Castiel, Human!Castiel - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-05 09:11:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5369753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeyKins/pseuds/JadeyKins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel and Jack Harkness hike up a trail to a cabin for the weekend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Being Human

“I nearly froze to death earlier this year,” Castiel had complained.

“Yeah, maybe, but this will be different. This will be fun. Come on, you wanted to experience everything you possibly could as a human,” Jack had replied. And he had swept Castiel up in those magnificent strong arms of his and kissed him and Cas had been convinced that dressing in winter attire and climbing into the SUV was a good idea.

Now, he was trudging up a snow covered trail, getting lost between the trees, as Jack effortlessly continued on ahead of him. Castiel didn’t consider himself much of a complainer, but since Metatron had forced mortality upon him, he had aches. Pains. Hunger. Exhaustion. The first few times these experiences had been exhilarating. Something different that no other angel had experienced.

That had faded away. Instead, he was just tired. How his legs could ache and be cold while his upper torso was sweating with exertion was a mystery that he didn’t want to unravel. What he wanted was to be at the bottom of the trail in the SUV. Or perhaps back in their last hotel room. He hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep for this kind of adventure.

Jack paused and turned back. He had thermal underwear on underneath all of his usual attire, though his dedication to wearing the heavy great coat in this weather wasn’t something Castiel could fathom. The vortex energy that kept Jack alive must be keeping him warm because his cheeks were only slightly pink. That probably had more to do with the wind than the actual cold. “How’re you holding up?”

“I think I am experiencing the desire to kill,” Castiel managed through chattering teeth.

“It’s a little nippier than I thought.”

“It’s freezing. And the snow is up to my knees. How much farther do we have to go?”

“It’s a little ways yet. Another hour.”

“Hour?” Castiel groaned and finally stopped.

“Sorry. You seemed like you were in shape for this kind of thing.”

“That was a serious miscalculation.”

Jack neared him and suddenly his scent was mingling with the evergreens. Notes of honey and Heaven mingled with the forest and that was both calming and frustrating. Castiel leaned against the tree as Jack came even closer. “We’re too far up to turn back. I promise, this’ll be worth it.”

“I’m sure it will. My temper’s short. I’m cold. And hungry.”

“I’ve got the thermos. Soup will still be hot.”

“We started this trip four hours ago.”

“Trust me. It’s still good.” Jack pulled out the thermos anyway and poured a cup of the soup.

It steamed into the air. With great care, Castiel took the cup. Eating it right away would burn his mouth—he’d learned that the hard way with a microwave burrito during one of his first meals as a human. However, the air was cold so that the soup chilled enough in a few moments. Cas drank it down. “Thank you.”

Jack poured a little more into the cup. “I really should have thought about this more. Guess I’m just used to invincible you.”

Sadly, he was accustomed to that level of invulnerability as well. “I’ll be fine once we make it to the cabin.”

“I can rig your bag onto mine.”

“I’ll manage,” Castiel said.

“If it’s too much—”

“I want to prove I can do this for myself.” Castiel finished the second cup of soup and handed it back to Jack. “I’ll feel more accomplished if I complete this without too much help.”

“All right, but don’t overdo it. You need something, tell me.”

Castiel nodded and then continued walking. He could do this. One foot in front of the other.

They trudged through the snow, Jack working ahead to find the less deep routes, and before too long the slope began to lessen. The air up here was thinner and Castiel had to adjust to that as well.

Just when he thought his muscles wouldn’t take anymore, they reached the top. The snow up here was shallower, but the wind was greater. Not far ahead on the trail was a picture perfect two story cabin. Beautiful in its gingerbread-like design and log cabin finishing, Castiel could see why Jack would consider this a treasure. After the long hike, it was glorious to see. He trudged towards the front door, but Jack hooked his elbow. “Not quite yet.”

Castiel wanted to groan—probably did groan a little judging at the look on Jack’s face—but he followed along with the request. Jack led him around to the back of the cabin.

The whole mountainside and lower valley sprawled out below them. The sun was setting behind them, so the valley was already dark. Little houses sparkled with bright lights nestled in between the snowbanks. Above them, the first night time stars twinkled against a sea of black. And from here, Castiel could see the road to the park where they had left the car. They had climbed a great distance. _He_ had trekked that far. For this cabin, for this view, for this man holding onto his arm. Castiel leaned against Jack’s shoulder. “You’re right. This is beautiful.”

Jack smirked and kissed Castiel’s temple. “Glad you think so. Come on, let’s get you warmed up.”

 

***

 

They bathed together in the large claw-foot tub. Jack had drawn Castiel into his arms and they had cuddled there in the warm water. It was pleasant enough that Castiel almost fell asleep there, but Jack pushed him into alertness. “You need food. And there’s some other fun stuff I want to do tonight.”

Food turned out to be a delicious meal cooked by Jack. Apparently sometime in the last decade, the immortal had learned how to cook. Castiel was determined to pick up a few more skills as well, though unfortunately he overcooked the mac and cheese. Jack had chuckled, leaned in and kissed his cheek again. “Don’t worry about it.”

Dinner was fantastic. As was the sweater that Jack had packed for him. Castiel thought he had brought enough clothes, but the flannel wasn’t as warm as he thought it would be. Jack pulled a dark blue sweater out of his pack. “I thought you might want this.”

And now, Castiel was feeding sticks into the fire that Jack had built. He had watched and he was going to build tomorrow’s. Fire-building was one of the more important skills he should learn, he believed. But at the moment he was practicing how not to smother it, which was harder than he had thought it would be.

“Another winter time tradition,” Jack said as he came over from the kitchen. He brought two large mugs and handed one to Castiel.

“Coco,” Castiel said.

“Yup. Be careful, it’s hot.”

He wanted to say that he was wise enough to know such a thing, but little warnings like that were good. _Even if they do remind me how mortal I am._ He held the warm cup between his hands and smiled. Somehow, Jack had managed to get the marshmallows to form a smilie face. Cute. “Thank you.”

Jack kissed him lightly. “You’re welcome. Oh, one more thing.” Jack rose and turned off the lights before returning to sit beside Castiel on the rug. “There. How’s that?”

Without the lights, it was them and the fire, which lit them with an orange glow. This far away from civilization, there was only the crackle of the fire, the soft way Jack breathed. Being able to hear so far was almost like having his angel hearing back, but not quite. Still limited, still human. But nice. Castiel gently blew across the coco and then took a small sip. It hurt only a little, but the smooth chocolate made up for the tiny pain. “Amazing. Thank you. Again.”

“Hey, I’m glad to be with someone who appreciates it. Been a while since I felt like bringing anyone here.”

“It’s special?”

“Yeah. I built this place back in the eighties.”

“With your own hands?”

“Mostly. That’s the thing about living forever. You pick up a few skills.”

Castiel tried not to feel that pang of sadness. His immortality had been stolen. True, in some ways he deserved what happened to him, but as the months passed, he couldn’t help feeling angry at Metatron and more at himself for believing in the trick. And if not for Jack, he would still be homeless. He leaned against Jack again. Jack put an arm around him, keeping him close. This was cuddling and the way their bodies were pressed together felt perfect. Up here, away from the world, surrounded by beauty with the arm of a handsome man around him. Yes, this was perfect. What he needed. “How long did it take to build?”

“About a year. Kept having to deal with the Bigfoot problem." 

“Bigfoot isn’t real.”

“Yeah, but there was this group of aliens who _believed_ they were Bigfoots because their translators malfunctioned in the crash landing.” Jack chuckled. “I had to actually convince them to hand over their translators so I could fix them and wound up getting married three times on accident.”

“Only you could get married on accident.”

“I’m not sure you could count drunken Vegas weddings as intentional marriages.”

“Those are easily voided.”

“Not Vegas _system_ marriages. The governor got tired of all the people who would get married and take advantage of the couples’ package and then void the marriage after the weekend. You get married there and it’s for life. And the ceremonies are breath-taking out there. Literally. There’s a moment when the vows are exchanged where the happy couple has to breathe into this machine, and you’ve got to put a lot in there. Supposed to be a sign of good marriage if you get the meter on the machine far enough. Some of them are rigged so that it actually sucks the air out of you so that it can read a high amount.”

“Every ceremony?”

“Naw. Some beings can’t actually get out of their suits. Some think that ceremony’s too old-fashioned. But the Vegas system is known for its cosmic beauty anyway and any good chapel is positioned so it’s got a view of the nearby nebula. I’ve been best man at more than one ceremony out there.”

“Never husband?”

“Not there.”

Castiel nestled into him. “And here?”

“Not for a long while. Decades.”

Castiel thought about this and drank more of the coco.

 

***

 

Hiding behind a tree may not be dignified, but in a snowball fight with Captain Jack Harkness, Castiel found it a necessity. Jack was faster, more fit so that he wasn’t slowed in the snow as often. Castiel had made a break for the nearest tree, skidded behind it, and managed to haul himself back up before Jack could close on him. He threw snowball after snowball and pelted Jack with the white fluff. Since he had reached the safety first, Jack had no hope of making it anywhere near the trees without getting covered in snow. Especially because Castiel turned out to have wicked aim. Besides the joy of climbing a mountain and hearing Jack’s stories until he fell asleep by the fire, discovering that he had a good throwing arm and near perfect aim was Castiel’s new favorite pleasure of the weekend.

And judging from the look on Jack’s face, he hadn’t been expecting Castiel to have such wicked snow-fighting skills.

Jack still made a break for the trees and Castiel threw more snowballs at him, but then Castiel stopped and ran to a new location. He halted his running as he heard Jack come to a stop. If he moved to the left and threw something to make a sound on the right, he should have ample cover. With a grin, Castiel threw a snowball at a tree to the far right. Jack revealed his position and threw more snowballs into the random tree beyond. Castiel snuck as quietly as he could, which was hard in the deep snow. Gathering up handfuls of soft powder, he edged his way up to Jack’s hiding spot. As Jack leaned out to throw more snowballs, Castiel attacked from behind. He shoved the snow into the collar of Jack’s coat.

The shout—maybe yell or scream working as a better word—that Jack unleashed into the still air was worth the cold pain burning at Castiel’s lungs. Castiel laughed and laughed as Jack dug the snow out of his collar. “Cheat!” Jack said. “Cheater!”

“You—would—have—done—it—first,” Castiel panted.

Jack grinned. “I would have. Guess I’ll have to do something different.” And then he rushed Castiel.

They fell to the ground together, Castiel landing on the bottom in the deep snow. Jack was on top of him. Air fogged between them as they laughed together until Jack tried to shove snow down Castiel’s pants. There was light arguing and a lot of squirming until Jack had pinned Castiel down. Moving any hand would lose his advantage though, so Jack leaned in for a kiss instead. And Castiel welcomed him into the kiss. A perfect way to warm their faces in all this cold.

And warmed something else in Jack. A firmness pressed against Castiel’s leg. Their kiss slowed and they were still nestled into each other’s arms. “Is that okay?” Jack dipped his head down.

The erection, the fact that Castiel could feel it against him. More than anything, Castiel wanted to run his bare hands through Jack’s hair, but taking the gloves off wasn’t an option right now. “I don’t mind it. I’m sorry mine—”

“Don’t be. We’ve been over this. Don’t ever be sorry about what you feel or don’t feel. Compatibility isn’t about sex drive.”

Castiel brushed his lips against Jack’s. “I love you.”

“I know. Why do you think you got to come up here?” Jack kissed him again.

They might have lingered there if the snow hadn’t seeped into Castiel’s winter wear. “I’m getting cold.”

“Let’s go inside.”

 

***

 

Castiel was too sore to help cook the second night’s dinner. Between the hiking and the snow fight, every muscle ached. Instead he sat at the table and watched Jack work. Listened to the sounds of cookery banging together as he put together the dishes, enjoyed the smell of everything he made. They ate together and while Jack cleaned up the dishes, Castiel fussed with the fireplace. He had been attentive, but it still took almost ten minutes to light the fire. He did it on his own, though, and the fire was roaring by the time Jack joined him on the rug.

They had huge mugs of coco again. Castiel smiled into it and cuddled up with Jack again. “I like it here.”

“Good. We can stay another couple of days. Blizzard is supposed to be moving in.”

“You brought enough food with you?”

Jack was suddenly more interested in drinking the coco.

Castiel frowned at him. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“There might be another route up here and I might have driven up here the other day and supplied the cabin.”

Castiel blinked. “We could have driven up here.”

“Technically, yes. But you wanted a challenge. Something different. If you’d said no to the hike, I would have brought you up the other route.”

“I did.” Castiel narrowed his eyes. “I bet there’s even a garage around here with an SUV stashed in it.”

“And snowmobiles.”

Castiel glared and glared, knowing that he didn’t mean it at all. But Jack was squirming in his subtle ways, though unwilling to break the eye contact. So he was watching when Castiel suddenly lunged forward and kissed him. Jack smiled into it and was still smiling when Castiel leaned back again. “I feel like I keep saying thank you this weekend,” Castiel said. “What can I possibly do to make you this happy?”

“You kidding? I’m getting to watch you go through a lot of firsts. And you’re hot.”

And that made him worry. “Does it bug you? That sex isn’t something I’m interested in?”

“Castiel, we’ve been over this.”

“We discussed what the definitions were, not what it meant to you,” Castiel said.

“Okay, I’m going to have to remember that you have an uncanny memory.”

“You’re avoiding the subject.”

Jack let out a long sigh. “I’ve been around a long time and I’ll be around forever. Do I like sex? Yeah, sure. Do I want to have it with you? Only if you want. But what really matters to me is how close we feel. It’s hard to find someone who gets me. Who doesn’t flinch when I start talking about the 19th century like it was yesterday. Who doesn’t try to guilt me when I talk about mistakes. I like the way you listen. The way your eyes light up when we find a common interest. I like the way your lips taste, the way you fall asleep against me. Especially when you’re fighting to stay awake. I love the way we are together. I love you. That’s all that matters. I’m too old to let anything else define my relationships.”

Castiel set the coco down and kissed him. It was long and drawn out, the crackling fire the only noise louder than their lips meeting. Afterwards, Castiel stayed close. Hesitated. But he took a deep breath. “There’s something else I want to try. And it’s fine if you don’t. I understand if you don’t. The notion is—it’s somewhat ridiculous if I think about it too much.”

“What?” Jack asked.

Castiel forced himself to look up, made himself hold still instead of squirming. He brushed his hand against Jack’s and clasped it. “Marry me?”

Jack’s eyebrows shot up in his head. “I—I never age. You will.”

“I know.”

“I won’t stop hunting alien threats.”

“I wouldn’t be in love with you if you changed who you were for me.”

Jack touched his cheek. “People I love don’t have a habit of making it to an old age.”

“There’s an exception to every rule.”

“You’re really serious about this?”

Castiel wound his arms around Jack, their legs tangling together too. “Yes. I don’t need the official paperwork or ceremony, but I want to live with you like married people do. Be yours and only yours.”

Jack leaned forward and kissed him. Castiel opened and Jack slipped his tongue in. With a devilish smile, Jack ended the kiss. “Oh, we’re having a ceremony. Can’t deprive you of a honeymoon.”

Yes, being human had disadvantages. But here, in the snowy woods, Castiel believed that there was enough magic in the experience to make up for the pains and heartaches. The world was huge, the galaxy even bigger. And Jack Harkness had just agreed to be his husband. This was what happiness was supposed to feel like. And with Jack, he believed it’d never end.

**Author's Note:**

> This was done for the prompt "a day in the snow, a night by the fire." 
> 
> This was also the first time I did an asexual interp of a character. Please please please, tell me the bad or good about how I wrote Castiel in this one. I'm developing original asexual characters and fanfic's one way of practicing.


End file.
